This grant proposal is to obtain funding for a period of two years to complete a book manuscript entitled, "The Origins of American Medicine: New England, 1620-1723". This book will be the first comprehensive portrait of health, disease, and medical practice in New England during the first century of English colonization. The book will consist of nine chapters covering the topics of environment and modality, male health care practitioners, medical education, women and healing, the experience of illness, medical ethics and jurisprudence, the conflict between Native American and English medicine, medical practitioners and witchcraft, and the introduction of inoculation. The research for this book consists largely of reading primary sources-mostly in manuscript form. These primary source materials include diaries, journals, letters, court records, notebooks, town records, church records, wills, and inventories. These records, already examined in whole or in part, are located at the Massachusetts Historical Society, the Massachusetts Archives, the Essex Institute, the American Antiquarian Society, the New England Historic Genealogical Society, and other repositories throughout New England. The P.I. is asking for funding from December 1st, 2002 through November 31st, 2004 for twelve weeks of travel expenses to Boston, MA to complete his research, and for two years of release time from teaching and administrative duties in order for him to complete his manuscript. The book manuscript is already contracted with the Johns Hopkins University Press.